A/N: Okay guys, while this chapter is rather long, it is rather important as a precursor for the upcoming battle in the next chapter and regarding that: I'd like to ask for a beta reader who is very skilled with writing fight scenes since the one I am planning will take up nearly the entire chapter.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] April 21st 22XX
Location: [Arcadia - Basilicom]
After arriving in the Arcadian Basilicom's lobby, Karen found a familiar individual with short silver hair and cobalt blue eyes, wearing her regular black attire from her time as the Oracle of Lastation: Kei Jinguji.
"You see Karen Koizumi, or rather Lady Aqua Heart; I have decided to leave Lastation since the nation requires very little upkeep at this time and my talents were wasted there. Noire and Uni are more than sufficient to handle the amount of paperwork they receive. I did have the tiniest of inklings of going to Planeptune, but I would be incapable of standing Neptune for a single hour and then I remembered you had left the mainland to form your own nation and that girl: Linda had asked me to get her there. I have come with an offer: If you desire, I will offer my talents as this land's Oracle."
"Hmm, that seems rather convenient Kei. You obviously should be expecting this question from me considering the fact that you're a close confidant of Noire's. Are you attempting this to gather classified information within Arcadia's government and give it to Noire?"
"It's smart of you to take such necessary precautions considering my background, but rest assured, I am not doing this to deliver information to Noire like you claim. I am not fond of complacency and require a substantial amount of work to satisfy. A new nation like this will likely have its hands full trying to maintain order, especially with the conditions you requested over a year ago."
"I won't disagree that it's a challenge keeping things together, but we learn to get by after a while. Miyo, Izumi, Linda, and Pirachu have been loyal and determined to keep this nation as stable as possible, despite their low compatibilities with this kind of job. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without their help."
"It is admirable to have such loyalty among your subordinates but the fact is like you said: They lack the capability for this job and should be properly assigned to jobs befitting their skill sets. Miyo Hanari's expertise is technological R&D. Izumi Mizutani is a healer and would be better suited to working in a hospital setting. As for Linda and Pirachu...I can only see them as posters for the concept of rehabilitation if you agree with such things. If you want the best for this nation, you need to maintain proper government staff and a perfect Oracle to lead them all." Kei had her usual 'business overshadows everything' mentality when she spoke of her propositions regarding Karen's friends who are currently working with her in the government.
"Wow, aren't you condescending? But I won't disagree that it's ideal to match people with their best skills in terms of both productivity and morale."
"Indeed. I have heard that you have temporarily hired the previous oracle of Leanbox as your advisor. What I don't know is what has transpired for her to leave your court. Mind if I ask this question?"
"She left my employ to work on several magical spells. The first is the barrier that covered this entire continent which has been removed and she is attempting to find a way to ensure our food can be used to feed any species that finds themselves here in Gamindustri. Miyo has been assisting her as best as possible. But we're getting too wrapped up in random dialogues. Work has been piling up with Bae'lin, Miyo, Izumi, and Linda gone. Pirachu has been doing his best, but considering his size, one of the few things he's capable of doing is bringing the paperwork from A to B. Since I'm far too shorthanded here, I won't turn away experienced professionals who I know won't betray me to criminal factions. You're too stiff to work with makeshift criminal groups."
"It's worse than I thought. And I'll consider that last statement a compliment Aqua Heart. And because I feel generous right now, I'll tell you that there are several reasons for my coming here and offering my skill as oracle. While I do desire to help and sate my desire for constant work; the deal you made with the other CPUs is a big reason. If you aren't careful, you could give far too many secrets to Planeptune, Lowee, Leanbox, and Lastation. Having a skilled businesswoman and negotiator like myself will ensure your nation stays several steps ahead."
"Goddess, you're as unpredictable as a tsunami. And people considered me brash for acting independently and working against my allies back during the war against ASIC."
"Perhaps so, but I go where my skills are best appreciated. Noire and Uni have the political situation in Lastation well under control; I decided against Lowee since I am not good with children and Mina and Blanc have the region under control; despite all appearances suggesting otherwise, Chika and Vert have Leanbox secure; and like I said before, I would not be able to stand Neptune's antics for an hour before she drove me out. How Histoire and Nepgear tolerates her confuses me. That left only one option: The brand new nation of Arcadia formed by the goddess: Aqua Heart. So will you accept me as Oracle?"
"You have been through a great deal on the slim possibility of me hiring you. I applaud your determination in this matter and because of how work has been getting out of hand because of the population explosions here, I will need as much skilled help as I can. Like I've said, Bae'lin is far too busy with other important matters that benefit my nation's purposes which leaves me with no Oracle to assist me in my duties."
"Very good. If you can direct me to an available office, I'll begin work immediately. Securing order in all reaches should be our first priority."
"There are dozens, if not hundreds, of empty rooms in this Basilicom. Ideally, I'll want you close by my own office as my Oracle since I'd want you to be close so urgent reports can be brought to my attention promptly. Bae'lin had been working in a room adjacent to my own so you can work there." Karen responds with a calm confirmation as she turns around toward the appropriate teleporter pad that takes her to her office.
"Hold up a moment. I wish to offer a suggestion regarding the situation of creating peace in the region. Chian has told me that four groups have fought day and night in the name of order. If you wish, I will arrange for the creation of a police group with the leaders of those four groups being the administrators of the new government sanctioned police."
"Baby steps Kei. If we're going to do such things, we need to stabilize the government's infrastructure to actually possess such a thing since they will need funding, which we cannot proper supply at this time. However, we might be able to use the image of it to inspire people to rise up and fight against the criminal gangs. If we show that those four groups are our official law enforcers, that should encourage people to support them. But trust me when I say that one of those leaders will be hesitant to show herself to the public; she's rather secretive, but her desire to keep my nation safe and her controlling what could be the strongest individual 'gang' proves it."
"Who is this individual you speak of? I need to confirm her loyalty first hand if what you say is true. If she has the strongest forces and decides to betray you, we need to find a way to ensure she can be made submissive."
"Not necessary and don't talk any more about this Kei. She won't betray me; she gave me a solemn pledge to support me and I know it is genuine. I am a good judge of character." Karen sternly voiced this when she heard of Kei's desire to keep Uzume subdued. While it has happened a few times already, Karen couldn't help but feel some relief knowing that she is capable of exhibiting anger when she is mad in her HDD form since she had presumed that this form's elegance would prevent any sort of angry outburst.
"As you desire. You're the CPU after all. In the end, your word is law, though my position as Oracle is to assist you in managing the government and to offer suggestions on what to do in your daily affairs. I'd be around to advise your actions so the citizens will think of you in a positive manner to invigorate share energy."
"She has a point there Karen. Every proper CPU has an Oracle at her side to advise her activities and maintain the citizens' happiness which is a significant part of share energy. As much of a pain in the rear end this woman is, she is the best Oracle, aside from Histoire, that I have seen in this generation. I want to say you should take anything she says with a grain of salt because of her personality, but her determination and skill as oracle may supersede all else."
After Karen pondered what Caelus had said to her, she mentally nodded and led Kei to the office Bae'lin had chosen as the Oracle's office. When the pair enter the office that is adjacent to Karen's, they find a large room with pure silver colored walls, with massive windows on the far end one would find in a church but completely blank yet tinted to minimize the reflection one would have to deal with from the sunlight as the windows face the direction of the sunrise to midday. What strikes Kei's interest is a large desk styled in a large circle with a small opening for a person to walk into the desk's radius, with the chair being kept on a rail allowing for easy movement of the chair to the three different computer towers being spread out underneath the desk, but each tower hosts three computer monitors above them on the desk which allows for a great deal of work to be done at all times of the day. Kei walks forward to inspect the office while Karen simply waits at the entrance with a calm face as she waits to hear of Kei's thoughts on the office.
"This is a remarkable office. Plenty of space at four hundred square feet, the chair is comfortable yet firm enough not to distract me from my work, the computers are state of the art and well placed to ensure maximal strategic efficiency, and there is no glare from the sun on the monitors. And if I'm right, there is even a sub-wing for one to sleep in over to the right. You have good architectural sense Aqua Heart."
"My father is the CEO of a large gaming company so you tend to pick things up. Productivity is key in any business, but you must also ensure you create a comfortable living experience for the employees so their enthusiasm stays high which increases said productivity. Unhappy employees will work very little after all."
"Indeed. Now, direct the rat to bring all paperwork to this office from now on and I'll convert them to digital form. I presume you've been working near non-stop since you established your nation?"
"You've hit the nail on the head. While I took breaks to do conventional work in my human form to get credits to help pay for food, I've pretty much stayed in HDD form during these last two years. It was not easy to do this in addition to the power I've been exerting to halt my friends' biological clocks and of those from other worlds, but it's been getting a little easier since my power has increasing a great deal."
"It's likely because you have so many people from foreign lands coming to your nation for prosperity and they revere you for it. But that is something I'd like to talk about. Before I left Lastation, Noire and the others have grown concerned over your nation's exponential growth and what is being seen as domination of the world's shares in addition to you 'stealing' citizens from their nations. They say that if you could find a way to limit your possible share capacity and immigrants entering your land, the other nations would likely be far more cooperative with you."
"Oh, you must be-" Karen immediately stopped and groaned hearing what Kei had propositioned regarding her nation's amount of share energy it has at this moment and the people entering her land "Is it even possible to 'contain' worship? Am I supposed to exile an x amount of people to Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox? I just want to keep people safe. Besides, I've only been a goddess for two years and I know next to nothing about all this. I've been treating this position as a glorified governor of sorts."
"When you put it that way, it does sound impossible, in addition to rude and demanding. It's merely something the others have expressed."
"Well...I'll see if something can be done on my end. I don't want to be seen as someone desiring to dominate the world or anything, especially since I fought with everything I had to dispose of the last group that attempted this crap. But pass a message along that they're still asking for the impossible. As soon as we find a way back to our worlds, we'll leave and the status quo will go back to normal."
What surprised Karen when she had said this was the uncharacteristically somber grim expression on Kei's face "So you really do plan on leaving Gamindustri when you gain the ability to?"
"We have to Kei. Although the intent was noble, Histoire still abducted us from our world and we need to return to them. I also want to make sure that Miyo, Izumi, Garrus, Wrex, Bae'lin, and everyone else has the option as well. As a goddess of the disenfranchised people from other worlds, I want to get these poor souls home."
"That's reasonable Aqua Heart. But I doubt your citizens would share your views since they would see it as you abandoning them."
"I'm aware, and that's something I don't want to happen to this land I created. This may be considered unorthodox, but I want to structure Arcadia's government differently from the other nations. Because of how I won't be here forever, I want to form a more permanent civilian government to help run this nation."
"A civilian government in place of a CPU ruling over the nation?" After Kei said this short sentence, she sat down in the chair, cupped her hands in front of her face and then looked up toward Karen "You are the most abnormal CPU I have ever seen in my life. It's as if you wish to minimize the effort you will need to perform to maintain national vitality and place full trust in elected representatives." Kei said this with her usual business-like tone but cracked a small smile "Gamindustri thrives on such varied diversity and you are straying from the status quo to mark your own place in history. Helping you achieve this would also immortalize me in the annals of history for assisting in revolutionary standards. When I first got here, I had presumed my job here would be standard cookie-cutter Oracle work, but now that I hear that new bars are being set, that inspires me to work even more than I did when I was in Noire's retinue."
"I had better hope so. I have high standards after all, though my friends sometimes tend to be exceptions."
"No matter what standards you set, I will achieve them. You can depend on me CPU Aqua Heart. For now however, let me get to my work. However, since you likely have been depriving yourself of meaningful entertainment because of your work, I wish to give a gift to bolster both your spirits and productivity. Like you said mere moments ago, morale is important to any business or organization and if the leader is suffering, everyone below her will as well. So take this." Kei had gotten up from her chair and walked toward Karen as she spoke until she within arm's length and pulled out a thin case from within her inventory and shows it to the goddess in front of her "This was something of a farewell gift from Noire, but I am not fond of games of this nature; work keeps me entertained."
Karen takes the case and looks at both the front and back of the game case and sees it's for a what appears to be an MMO called Four Goddesses Online 2.
"An MMO? This is a strange farewell gift Kei. And another thing; will I even be able to play this game here in Arcadia since it says that only four servers are in the game? I don't have conventional computer hardware to play games, only the Eclipse VR headset from Millennia."
"You should be able to. As long as you possess a good enough computer that can handle the graphics. As far as I know, the controller means little. Enjoy a small respite."
"Once I tie up two last loose ends, I'll give it a try."
Karen calmly walked out of Kei's office after she spoke this, first planning to find Pirachu to tell him of the update to where to take the paperwork from now on. Thankfully, she finds him in the lobby about to grab another stack of paperwork to bring it to Miyo's, Izumi's, and Linda's office like usual.
"I'm glad I caught you Pirachu. You have to bring the paperwork to the Oracle's office next to mine from now on. Since Bae'lin left the job of Oracle to assist in magical research, the former Lastation Oracle has taken her place and will assist me in running this nation."
"You hired Kei-chump? I know things are tough, but is it that bad where you have to hire people who worked with other CPUs?"
"Pirachu; just think about the last couple of days. Miyo, Izumi, and Linda have been out of the Basilicom dealing with medical emergencies, and I've been out fighting for days. That left just you, and you have said doing this work is impossible. Stuff like this is entirely possible since our staff numbers five, six with Kei joining. Look, I know you may not have good relations with the Oracles, but I'd truly appreciate you, at the very least, accepting her presence here. We need her skill here."
"Mmm...I am hesitant to give out trust to the CPUs and their Oracles because of our history with ASIC since they hate us-chump, but you are the only one Linda and I trust, since you are very much different from the others because of your background. Since you were generous enough to give us a roof over our heads, food, and work-chump, I'll try my best Madam Aqua Heart."
"Thank you Pirachu. I know I've been a bit of a pain to deal with, but I appreciate all the loyalty you guys have shown me these last two years." When she heard of Pirachu's determination, Karen couldn't help but smile at the thought, and because of how her HDD form amplified her maternal side, her attitude while in goddess form tends to lean toward a mother hen.
"Chuuu...when you say something like that with your angelic voice, it's difficult to hold any sort of anger or anything close."
"I wish everyone held that mindset. As much as my recent actions say otherwise, I have a certain aversion for fighting. Even though competition drives any industry forward into the future, I want that competition to be tranquil; one that doesn't demand bloodshed. I'm fighting to ensure peace can prosper in this nation I have created. Have you brought any of the paperwork to Miyo's office?"
"A few stacks Lady Aqua Heart. But that's just today chump. There are huge piles that Kei will have to deal with. I'll have to bring them to her."
"Let me help; Kei told me to leave the work to her and enjoy a respite but I can't really bring myself to enjoy such a thing if I know that others are breaking their backs working while I slack off. I'd feel too guilty if I attempted it. If we can work together, I think it may only take two hours at the max. Well, hopefully. It depends on how much is in there. Let's go."
"Chuuuuuu. You truly are a saint Lady Aqua Heart! The fact you are willing to help a lowly employee like me only proves your angelic nature."
"Oh please, you're going to make me blush at this rate. Let's just get this over with so we can enjoy a well-deserved respite."
The duo quickly nod in acknowledgement and walk to Miyo and Izumi's office via the teleporters in the lobby, but when Karen opened the door to the office, all she could do was blink in awe at the sight of what must be dozens of stacks scattered around the room from the floor to the ceiling
"Goodness. I knew things were piling up because of all of our absence, but I never knew it was this bad. Let's hurry and get this finished with quickly."
Karen quickly walks toward the most concentrated piles of paperwork and snaps her index finger on her right hand with her thumb and immediately afterward, four of the largest stacks begin floating in midair around her.
"How'd you do that chu?"
Karen simply sighed in mild discontent as she glanced at her arm "It's something Miyo directly uploaded about a month ago when I was asleep. This allows me to affect gravity to a very limited extent and I've mostly used it for my j-combat sessions, ya know, out in the city fighting those gangs." Karen was rather calm up until she almost mentioned the job she holds at Celestia and quickly changed the subject to a more noble thought of preserving order in the city like what Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, and Uzume have been doing for months now.
"That's incredible chu. Miyo truly is a technological savant if she's able to pull stuff like that off."
"I can only imagine what she is capable of creating with a dedicated, experienced team supporting her and all of the resources she would ever need. She mentioned she usually always worked alone and had to get her materials from monster hunts or used discarded materials from junkyards. But come on, we need to get all this stuff to Kai so she can work."
"Right chu!"
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] April 21st 22XX
Location: [Arcadia Undercity - Hideout]
After undergoing the robotization that Miyo and Kazuto had decided for him since he was comatose from the severe wounds he suffered against the X-34 Shredder mechs that were hidden in the warehouse that killed his entire squad, he slowly walked through the city wearing the new clothes Miyo had gotten for him and because of the magic imbued within the clothes the chrome silver jacket is a perfect fit, but ever since they have declared themselves as Arcadian citizens, Katsuo and the others no longer choose to wear clothes that change their appearance via magic since they no longer want to hide behind such things in their own nation. Katsuo has seen that it has a simple, but elegant blanket plaid pattern, giving the suit a dignified look. The six buttons of his single breasted jacket are all buttoned up and do a remarkable job of hiding the extreme levels of cybernetic alterations done to his body, aside from the eyepiece transplanted on his face, with it constantly looking around the environments since he currently has no control over it. The jacket is the same length all around, though it possesses a vent at the back which has become the third focal point of the nanotechnology that has managed to save his life, with the others being his artificial heart and his arm, and as a standard feature of most jackets, there are a great number of pockets spread throughout it. And the only enchantment the clothes possess is what allows it to be a one-size fits all, so his appearance is exactly like how he normally is, and the others have been following suite with their new custom outfits
"I didn't say anything since I did not wish to sound like an insensitive jackass, but god do I hate this new body of mine. And after remembering what Mamoru had said regarding power, I suddenly feel a lot more somber about this. Huh. It took nearly dying and being revived with a robotic body to learn that lesson." Katsuo scowls in his mind as he stares at his mechanical arm that has replaced his wounded organic one "It's been four days since that battle. I need to see the others and tell them that I've come back to life."
When he finally made it back to the hideout, he is immediately tackled by both Haruka and Ophelia, tears flowing down their faces despite the happy faces they are carrying, with Mamoru simply walking toward him, carrying a grave frown as he stares him down.
"Geez you guys, don't kill me or anything. I just regained my life after all." Katsuo couldn't help but lightly smile and chuckle seeing the others so happy to see him.
"You...You idiot! How can you be so calm after what happened to you?!" Haruka weakly mutters through her crying, though she's beyond glad that one of her closest friends has survived such grievous wounds.
Katsuo simply let out a small hum and looked away with indecision on his face but quickly returned his glance toward Haruka "I just have to remind myself that what I do is for the well-being of this entire nation that my goddess has created with all our efforts. If I get hurt doing this, I'll shrug off the pain and continue fighting until the bitter end. If I am scarred to this degree, I will carry them as a testament to my dedication for the safety of all."
"Haruka has a point you know. You're a pure bred idiot for trusting Akio despite our warnings. Honestly, if you weren't half-machine at this point, I would punch you in the stomach." Mamoru retorts rather solemnly since he feels like all this could've been prevented if he had listened to them.
"I know alright. The blood of all my men are on my hands and I was the one who got them all slaughtered. Booker, Nigel, Arron, Angelus, Octavia, Melissa, Calista...I remember each one of them. I heard their...no. I can't let my mind drift to the slaughter." Katsuo responds very somberly, with his voice cracking as he briefly recalls the screams in that warehouse four days ago as his trusted comrades died very painfully to the mechs that destroyed many parts of his own body. The fact that these seven individuals joined Katsuo and the others from the very start and survived nearly two years, only to die right when victory was within grasp; it bothers Katsuo more than anything right now "I regret this with every fiber of my being, but I realized what you were trying to tell me about keeping power at a distance. But if I have learned anything, I do not deserve to become a leader of men when my foolishness resulted in me leading them to their deaths. Mamoru, I want to ask you to let me join your team to fight as a simple soldier." Katsuo muttered this as he feels like he finally relearned how to be more humble in his objectives.
"After everything you've suffered, you want to return to the battlefield? And your request is denied. Are you so horrified over one loss that you want to stop being a leader after all the victories you've won? That's just foolish!"
"I led my men to their deaths! HOW DARE you write them off so nonchalantly!" After Mamoru called Katsuo's feelings on the fact he personally led the men and women who were working with him for nearly two years to their deaths utterly foolish, his downcast expression quickly shifted to that of utter and complete rage as he stormed over toward Mamoru, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him in the air a short amount with this being possible because of his new body giving him a significantly increased limit of strength.
"Katsuo. This is comparable to a freaking war. Listen to my words very clearly. Deaths. Are. Unavoidable in war. Remember what I told you in Aincrad years ago: you are a talented leader. You may not be a tactician like Karen was, but your strength was inspiring your troops by fighting alongside them. Why do you think they were so committed to helping you to the end? You inspired them to give their all in this cause. What you lack in strategy, you make up for in strength and loyalty. That is something Karen was never able to do. When things went awry, she was forced to rely on what we were capable of. Think of it as a tad crude, but as talented as she was, she was still utterly dependent on us all to turn the tide. Since we're still not getting much in the way of people right now, I'm diverting half my troop to your command. But I am thankful of one thing: Once we complete this final operation, we'll be able to put down our weapons for good, or atleast create an environment where we won't need to directly kill anyone anymore." To Haruka and Ophelia's surprise, Mamoru was completely calm even though Katsuo was genuinely pissed off and was in a position where he could be seriously hurt by Katsuo's new strength.
"But I-!" Katsuo tried to say more but he was stopped by Mamoru as he continued speaking, cutting Katsuo off.
"You know I'm right Katsuo. Now let me go." In response to the grave statement given by Mamoru, Katsuo released his grip on Mamoru's collar, quickly dropping to ground level and he readjusts his collar rather gently as his shirt got rather ruffled from Katsuo's forceful lift in the air and when he sees that Haruka and Ophelia are naturally freaked out by this display, he lets his rather negative snarl fade and put on a gentler smile "Relax. After all the rambunctious kids I've babysat for, I'm used to a degree of physical assault. Ophelia, did you actually find out anything regarding those weapons from the black market?" Mamoru asked this to try changing the mood of the conversation.
"I think I just about solved the puzzle Mamoru, but I have to admit: trying to analyze these weapons was more complicated than I'd like to admit. I'm thankful we stopped getting these things last year when Chian promised to manufacture weapons and armor for us. I actually had to ask for assistance from Chian and a few others but I discovered the truth behind the source from Noire. Apparently a black market was created in Lastation during the crisis with ASIC and that very market is the one indirectly funding all of these gangs, including ours before Chian stepped in. I have no idea whatsoever how they were able to smuggle so many weapons into this nation, but Noire swore that she would help us shut down this market for good. She's gathering the other CPUs, the Candidates, and her allies to get rid of it. They said they'll leave the infighting to us since this is solely an Arcadian issue."
"Figures. Normally I say that's for the best but I do wish that we could get more reinforcements on our side since the enemy has begun mass-deploying those Shredder mechs. As you probably know Katsuo, they could tear us all apart effortlessly. Now that I think of it: Katsuo, why are you so eager to rejoin our fight? Don't you want time to recover?"
"I owe everyone that much. I don't want to betray their desire to see a peaceful Arcadia, so I will continue to fight for that dream. I want to ensure their deaths were not in vain. So I will-Wait, where's Kazuto and Yuuki? I thought they'd be here." Katsuo starts with a grim sincerity and a deep frown as he professes his desire to not disappoint the people who had put their deep trust in him to win a peaceful land for themselves, their families, their neighbors, and for everyone else in the world, but when he noticed Kazuto's and Yuuki's absence, he quickly made that question known.
"Not sure where Kazuto went actually. He said he had business in town and left a while ago. He shut down his gauntlet so we can't track him. And Yuuki said she wanted to visit a friend she made in Planeptune so she'll be away for a while." Mamoru was truthful when it came to Kazuto's current situation but because of how Miyo and Mamoru are Yuuki's confidants with her condition, Mamoru lied about where she is to hide the fact she is staying in Arcadia Central Hospital to get treated as best as possible.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:50] April 21st 22XX
Location: [Arcadia - Basilicom]
Despite Uzume's generous offer back in the hospital, Miyo quickly found the living conditions within her hideout a tad uncomfortable as she felt like the massive golems she brought into existence were watching her every move and trying to sleep in such conditions was difficult so she gave her farewells to the group of brave fighters and returned to the Basilicom as it has been her home ever since she took up residence within Arcadia. She entered the great hall that was the government bureau's lobby and walked over to the teleporter that leads to Karen's office since her bedroom is in that wing but when she passed by Karen's office to return to her sleeping quarters, she couldn't help but overhear someone speaking in the room.
"Geez! Take it easy. You're with a young human girl here, so be more gentle." Karen groans as she's clearly talking with someone in the room, talking about something a tad mysterious, though Miyo quickly noticed that the voice was borne from Aqua Heart's lips, indicating that she's transformed like usual.
"I'm sorry okay; it's been nearly a month and a half since I have been able to get over here and your muscles are tense. Can't you just try to relax?"
"That voice...Kazuto? Why is he here? And...what are they doing in there?" Miyo couldn't help but ask herself just what in the world the pair are doing and is paralyzed at the door to better hear the situation.
"Easier said than- Ah!"
"S-Sorry! Did I apply too much pressure there?"
"Not...exactly. It's just that...my body is too stiff. Please...take it slow until it loosens up alright?"
"I'm trying, geez. Honestly, I told you the last three times to try staying limber. You know Filia would be telling you that you're neglecting your basic needs by ignoring this. Even she asks me for this when she's not out in the field exploring."
"E-Even Filia?! She's wrapped up in whatever is going on here?! What could they be doing in there?"
"I-I know that Kazuto. But I'm a goddess and I have to take care of all the politics in this nation. I lack the time to keep my body limber." Karen whines as she was practically scolded by Kazuto about what he has told her repeatedly and the mention of Filia's thoughts on the subject.
"Yeah well, let's just get to it and finish as quickly as we can."
"Yeah...please."
"STOP!" Miyo finally regained a degree of control over her senses as she shouted this and pulls out a handgun as a last-case security precaution and kicked the door open as she rapidly glanced around the room looking for Karen and Kazuto. She quickly finds the pair in the exposed subwing dedicated as Karen's living quarters simply staring at her with confused expressions on their faces and the thoughts that had been running her mind quickly deserted her as she sees that both Kazuto and Karen are fully dressed, and although Karen is not wearing her CPU robe, the underlying bodysuit is still on her person. The only bizarre thing to her at this current moment is that Kazuto was quickly retracting his hands from her shoulders though her mind is incapable of processing this at the current moment.
"Miyo? What are you doing here?" Karen asks as she stares at the confuddled girl, though the shock of seeing one of her friends carrying a handgun certainly spooked her a tiny bit.
"The question that needs to be asked is what the flying hell is going on here!" Miyo shouts as her usual logical mind is reeling and incapable of making a logical response right now.
"Er, isn't it a bit obvious Miyo? I'm giving Karen a massage since her body is stiff from her day-to-day work."
Kazuto's response however fell on deaf ears since her mind is still on the deep end which is best signified by how her hands are rapidly shaking and what follows suite is Karen deeply sighing as she extends her left arm and mutters something under her breath as a beam of light shoots out from it and it takes the handgun from her panicky hands.
"I hate using magic; it's such a burden with all those complicated incantations. I have no idea how mages can do it in this world." Karen lightly groans as she gently tossed the handgun after retrieving it from Miyo and afterwards, she pulls herself up from her bed and stretches her arms in a circular manner "I have to say, I wish I could make this my universal clothing set of my processor. As elegant as my robe is, in terms of practicality, this bare bodysuit is far more efficient despite my feelings about the design."
"I...I...I need response; explanation; exposition; reasoning! Need-" Miyo rapidly muttered as her mental state began to go insane from the fact she has gone days without sleep when her cybernetics finally shut down for good and when she reached her limit, she outright crashed and fell on her side.
"Poor Miyo. She must be exhausted after everything that's happened to her since Katsuo was put in the hospital." Karen responds seeing the exhausted girl fall to her side, and walks over to her to prop her on her back and moves her arms to connect around the front of her neck so she doesn't fall "We're going to have to reschedule Kazuto. I need to make sure she's okay first and you have to return to your squad right?"
"Yeah, I do. We're planning on assaulting the final gang alliance headquarters in two days' time. We're merely waiting on Tennouboshi since she said she's gathering more forces to aid us and at a time like this, we'll be thankful to have more generals. Well, I must be off. I need to help plan out the assault."
"Oh wait! Kazuto, before you go, could you pass on a message to the others for me?"
"Sure. What is the message?"
"While it'll take some time to officially implement it, my new oracle and I have come to a mutual decision to appoint a police force to protect this nation, and we have four leaders in mind. The four people who most desired to protect this land I have created: The black swordsman, the white knight, the archer of justice, and the mysterious benefactor who leads the strong. You likely know this refers to yourself, Katsuo, Mamoru, and Tennouboshi. I want you to inspire the people working alongside you to give their all to protect this nation and I'll find some way to spread the word across the city so people would flock to support the defensive forces this city is mobilizing."
"That'd be a huge relief if people truly know that we're enforcers of justice. I'll pass the word along. Oh, and one last thing: Garrus actually accompanied me part of the way here. He said he forgot to mention something important he encountered during his expedition with Filia. He's waiting for you to summon him."
"Garrus is? Send him in immediately." Karen mutters in mild surprise hearing her dignified Turian ally having a report since he had plenty of time to notify her of whatever was happening out in the field, but she quickly deduces it may be why she hasn't heard from Leonard and the others even though Filia, Garrus, and Wrex have heeded her summons since she asked them all to return. As she sees Kazuto exit the room, she rematerializes her robe over her bodysuit and walks to where her desk is to wait for the soldier to arrive.
To little surprise on her behalf, Garrus entered her office and to her mild surprise this time around, he crouched down to bow like a knight greeting his lord "I am honored to be in your presence Lady Aqua Heart." Despite his formal choice of words, his tone was far from it since Karen could hear the tiniest of chuckles escape from Garrus' voice though he was remarkably skilled at hiding it by keeping his head toward the ground.
"Oh can it. You're not suited for such stuffy formality 'Archangel'." Karen simply laughs off his attempt at formality and addresses Garrus by the nickname that was given to him back on Omega.
"Who told you that I used to be called Archangel?"
"Who do you think? Who is the one individual who came with you from your world?" Karen couldn't help but manically laugh at how oblivious Garrus seemed to be regarding who told her about Archangel.
"Dammit Wrex." Garrus groans in irritation before deeply sighing and gets up as he looks toward Karen "As for why I'm here, we actually encountered an unusual forest a few months away from the capital. Leonard and the others are staying behind to keep an eye on it."
"An unusual forest? I don't get it."
"Then allow me to explain. During our expedition, we've seen many wonders but the strangest was a forest completely shrouded in fog. Filia and I attempted to enter so we could map it, but we found ourselves back at the entrance with the others when we tried to enter. Leonard then told us he detected very strong magical energies throughout the forest."
"Erm...I fail to see the point of what you're trying to say here Garrus. Can you please be more articulate?"
"The magic is not passive. Someone created it rather recently, it's only a year or two old. Do you see what I'm saying now?"
"Indeed. Someone is in that forest."
"And picture what would happen if whoever is there turns their eyes on this city?"
"Ah shit; we're distracted enough fighting these gangs, we can't afford to fight off a spellcaster and who knows what else in a two-front war. Garrus, are Leonard and the others still there and do they still have an Astronema gate with them?" Karen was beyond irritated and nervous hearing that a powerful spellcaster is on the continent. Especially if the individual(s) decide to wreak havoc on her nation while it's still distracted by its infighting.
"They do Karen. They're waiting for your arrival."
"Very well. There goes the idea of relaxing like Kai asked." Karen deeply sighed knowing that she won't be able to relax like her new oracle suggested quite yet, but she keeps a calm face nonetheless "Garrus, I'll go investigate, but I need you to quickly return to Uzume's group. Build a team in case I need immediate back-up and regroup with Leonard's squad. Also, if I have to get out there immediately, I want you to take Miyo to her room so she can rest and then call for Bae'lin, ask her to watch over her until I return."
"Understood." Garrus quickly responds with a militaristic nod of confirmation as he takes Miyo from Karen, pulls out the teleport device connected to the Astronema system and extends it in her direction. When he sees Karen instantaneously vanish when she touched it, he then walks out of the office, installs the device in the wall across from Karen's office so anyone who needs to use it to teleport it to where Leonard and the others are, and quickly leaves to gather a group to help Karen if she requires it and to bring Miyo to her room so she can rest.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:30] April 21st 22XX
Location: [Arcadia - Outside Invictus Forest]
After Karen quickly used the teleport system, she found Eldin and the other members quickly forming ranks and Eldin is the one who approaches her.
"You're late." It was rather clear from his tone that although Eldin is supporting her, his loyalty is not total or he's just peeved that four days had passed since they found the forest.
"I apologize Eldin. But there were more important things in the city that demanded my attention and I couldn't afford to focus resources here until I learned the severity of the situation. Give me a report here."
"There's not much we can give Lady Aqua Heart. When Filia and Garrus went to investigate the forest, they were quickly forced out and found themselves in front of us. I then happened to notice magical energy in the vicinity so I investigated that myself. This application of magic is completely unmarked. Because we needed to give this place a name of any kind, Garrus named this place: Invictus. He said it came to mind from a planet controlled by the Turians called Invictus." Leonard explains very methodologically as he pulls out his staff, mutters an incantation inaudibly with a burst of magic erupting over a small space around the group and quickly afterward, the aura of magic quickly revealed to Karen, and like he said; it's completely unrecognizable considering the magic she has seen from magic users from the mainland or among Bae'lin's family.
"What do you mean by unmarked Leonard? How exactly can magic be marked?" Karen inquired since she has had little interaction with magic because of her mild distaste for complicated magic. It has largely been influenced by her time in Aincrad: staying idle for as long as spells with incantations require could easily get a person killed so she prefers actions with short to no cooldown or which would keep the individual active so he/she has a chance to dodge enemy attacks, though her distaste was shoved aside for practical reasons since Leonard insisted that a Goddess should be able to use any kind of magic and would act as her magic trainer since he's one of the best, and one of the few, magic users that lived among the four nations.
"In this world, magic always has some mark in either their incantation or the spell effect which helps distinguish where it came from. Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, and Lowee all have their own marks as they have their own unique attributes. But this type of magic is unknown to me; and it differs from the magic used by Bae'lin's family, Izumi, and Haruka but I know one thing: Several mages have worked together to create this natural barrier and several inhuman noises have been heard. Be careful Lady Aqua Heart."
"Noted. And I appreciate the concern Leonard. Now; stay alert of any changes; Garrus will be returning soon with a reinforcement team. If I haven't contacted you by the time they arrive, assume I am indisposed and unable to establish communication, so follow Garrus' commands." Karen states with a serious tone as she summons Benten's sheath, puts it around her waist and walks in the direction of the massive forest in front of her.
"Understood!" The quintet respond in unison to Karen's order, proudly saluting as they see her walk pass them.
She proceeds to walk and when she reaches the first tree of the forest, she can feel the magic directly blocking her path and to deal with the barrier, she swiftly draws Benten and slashes the barrier. To ensure that her path is clear, Karen activates her Sleuth skill as she walks in case there are far more traps in place to deter intruders since she doubts whoever is here would place all of their trust in a single barrier. And to further maintain her defensive capabilities, she is keeping her sword drawn as she slowly walks through the forest and her concerns were well-deserved when she hears a nearby bush rustle as a woman with long silky black hair and crimson red eyes wearing armor with a familiar japanese oriented style with blue and gold colors, with her midriff having minimal exposure, and elegant cloth underneath her armor and on her shoulders suddenly appears from within it, wielding a large sword with a thin, if nonexistent, pommel, a black grip with gray diamonds throughout it, a very intricate gold cross-guard, and a large silver blade with a blue color scheme on the edge with a very strange set of runes and to Karen's surprise, it appears to be a magical sword since she can see magic ooze out of it.
Immediately after revealing herself, she began combat with a very strong melee strike keeping Karen on the defensive, but to her confusion; this mysterious woman is not attempting to press the offensive and seems to be focusing on keeping her stationary.
"Why is this woman not taking action? She has me at a disadvantage yet she is not striking against me. Her stance proves she is no amateur so she must have an agenda." Karen asks herself as she tries to find a way to turn the situation around since she's slowly being overpowered, as strong as she is in CPU form, when she hears what sounds like someone pulling bow strings in the distance "Archers!? So she's keeping me still so the archers can pick me off! Clever, but I'm not stupid enough to fall for that." After realizing what the plan is, Karen hastily revises her plan to keep the swordsman busy and when she hears the arrows fired, she rapidly created a temporary projection of her sword in her free hand to slash all three arrows fired at her in half as it vanishes and she proudly smirked at the woman fighting her "Nice try, but my senses are among the most elite in this entire world." Karen mockingly states to her assailant as she kicks her to perform a backflip, sending her back a short distance, and dashes toward the archers but when she was about to strike, she immediately stops in her tracks when she sees that the leader of the trio is a young adult woman with blonde hair wearing green clothing in a style slightly similar to the swordsman she had just fled from "Huh? Vert?" Karen couldn't help but mutter this since this mysterious archer looks almost identical to the goddess she briefly became acquainted with during the conflict with ASIC two years prior but when her senses return, she takes off running westward knowing that she has an enemy after her whose skill is near identical to her swordsman mentor and knows that attempting to fight her while having to deal with archers would be insane. Especially when she has never managed to win a match against Filia once despite using her Hard Drive Divinity abilities which would normally make her near invulnerable; which only proves Filia's strength in battle and the fact many people refer to her as the strongest warrior in all of Gamindustri, only barely behind the Goddesses themselves.
"Serawi! Are you okay!?" The swordsman shouts as she dashes toward her and the two young Yuichi who are part of her group.
"I'm-I'm fine Yuela. But that woman called me Vert for some reason." The woman, whose name seems to be Serawi, shakes her head to clear her mind after saying this and looks in the direction where Karen ran off in "Shouldn't we continue pursuing her?"
"Not necessary. She ran in the direction of the lake. Consider that Suina's and Paraskevas' territory is in that area. No matter how skilled she may be, there is no way she can fight against those two. But if she were to defeat them somehow, by stroke of luck, we should return to Wil immediately and plan a counterattack with help from Gaptahl, Ragsmuena, and Melodiana. Let's go Serawi. Crayl, Crayanne, go find the others and tell them to slow her down; we cannot afford to underestimate that woman."
"Got it!" The Yuichi siblings shout in unison as they let their roots encase their whole bodies as they dive into the ground to spread out across the region to find their friends.
After fleeing the initial battle with Yuela, Serawi, Crayl, and Crayanne, Karen ran west to buy time for Garrus to rendezvous with the reinforcements she requested before leaving the capital but to ensure that they know her status and what they will be up against, she immediately attempts to contact Leonard and the others outside the forest
"Leonard! It's Karen. Garrus' suspicions were right. There are people in this forest and they're heavily armed and trained! Get everyone in here stat!" To her dismay, she could only hear static blocking her attempt to contact her allies, making her uneasy about how she cannot inform them of the danger since she laid out an emergency contingency in case she doesn't contact them "Dammit! I can't afford to go back if those four are still there. If they have this forest as well-defended as I fear, they'll likely have that way trapped." Karen mutters in anger as she runs toward a huge tree near her and takes a few moments to pant since she had been running a great deal "Dear goddess. I am out of shape after those two years of doing paperwork. Being a waitress is not exactly physically demanding either. Especially at Celestia. Wait...I smell water. Thank goddess."
Karen slowly walks toward where the smell of water is coming from and quickly finds a large lake and since she is winded from the running she has done, she walks toward it, stabs her sword in the ground close to her and cups her hand in the lake repeatedly as she takes drinks of water to rejuvenate herself but quickly realizes spears of water sprout out from the lake and take a firm grasp over her legs, keeping her from moving.
"Dammit! How many surprises are there in this damn forest?!" Karen shouts angrily as she tries to grab her sword, to no avail as another spear takes hold of her left arm which is preventing her from grabbing it.
"Karen, you can summon your sword at any moment remember?!" Caelus quickly responds to Karen's inability to move and grab her sword as she reminds her of the power she possesses as a goddess.
"R-Right. It has been two years and I've forgotten." Karen sheepishly responds in kind from the reminder of her power as a goddess as she calms her mind to summon her sword but the moment she does, a fourth spear emerges which covers her right arm and makes her drop her sword in response, keeping her completely paralyzed. Immediately after she is kept paralyzed, something begins to emerge from the lake and takes the form of a young looking girl made entirely of water wearing a japanese kimono and floral headband as she walks over toward Karen, and what catches her attention is how the spears of water are coming from her fingertips which she's arranging like a puppet master controlling a marionette.
"So you must be the one who is assaulting our home. Crayl-san warned me of you coming. Know that you have no chance of escaping my special water volley magic."
"Is that what you think? Even if I fled from an opponent whose skill resembled that of my mentor's, I am far from helpless." Karen smirks as she closes her eyes to focus on a special magic spell designed during a time she was deeply bored during a shift at Celestia and when she finishes the incantation, Benten begins to float as it rapidly flies and rotates to slice and dice the spears to free herself, shocking the girl, and she then grips the sword with both of her hands "Now, I am not going to let my dignity as a Console Patron Unit be tarnished by a single girl. Prepare to face retribution for your actions."
Karen engages the power of her processor unit to hover in the air as she dashes toward the water spirit but she immediately dove back into the water when Karen got close, making Karen overshoot her planned position and finds herself in the center of the lake
"That girl was a water spirit? Then I...oh no!" Karen mutters before realizing that she has thrown herself into her home field territory where she has the unbridled advantage. However, what did happen was far from what she anticipated as a massive fin-like hand reached up and grabbed her leg as a massive sea creature began to rise up from the lake, with it utterly horrifying Karen as she takes a long look at it "Oh goddess! That is-!" Karen however was unable to finish her sentence as the creature began repeatedly slamming her against the ground around the lake, with each slam being worse than the last, with her face becoming outright bloodied and her entire body extremely battered by the time the creature stopped and released her on the ground after nearly ten slams, her CPU robe outright torn to pieces which heavily expose the underlying body suit which is the core of her Processor Unit's visual effect "Goddess...I can't…" Karen weakly mutters in extreme pain as she coughs up a small pool of blood every time she tried to talk but she quickly hears the creature grab something and begin to swing whatever it is. To her extreme reluctance, she is able to turn her head very slightly to see the creature swinging a massive hammer in her direction in an uppercut manner and within seconds, it makes direct contact with her back, making her completely wide-eyed as she sees herself get hit and is immediately sent flying and crashes through several trees before falling to the ground and losing consciousness.
After Paraskevas slammed Karen with his hammer which sent her flying and knocked her unconscious, the nearby spectators: Melodiana, Elizasleyn, Aht, and Uya approached her comatose body.
"Are, are~. Paraskevas truly does not know how to hold back his attacks. I actually think this woman is dead. Uya, please check for us since your sense of smell is better than ours." Elizasleyn sneers rather amusedly as she inspects Karen's heavily battered body and the various blood stains on her person.
"Lady Elizasleyn, please don't say such things. Even if this woman is alive or dead, I cannot help but dread that she has allies elsewhere who will avenge her defeat here. As strong as we all are, we cannot afford to fight a drawn-out battle, not when our supply gathering capability is already strained." Melodiana responds to curb Elizasleyn's desire for conflict when their ability to survive is unstable as it is and full-scale battle would force everyone in their group to fight and no one would be available to gather food and water, which would weaken them all within days.
"The Archangel makes an excellent point Angel of Virtue. We have been confined to this forest and its limited surroundings for nearly two years and even to this day, we barely reach our daily quotas in food gathering. If we get drawn into severe battle, we will fail to meet them and starvation will quickly plague us. Also, I can sense a very faint pulse. She may be on the verge of death, but she is alive." Uya retorts very gravely via his telepathy powers, which come from the fact he is a Saerav fox, as he is supporting Melodiana's concerns about others who would come to enact justice "And I should not have to mention the group of eight who have been prowling the perimeter. The fact three of them were capable of instantaneous transportation means such a thing exists in this world. If they are able to bring a massive army, we will have no choice but to surrender or else some, if not all if we are unlucky, of our number will likely be extinguished."
"I doubt things would get that bad, but I see your fears nonetheless. Regardless of this, I must say: my goodness, she is a tough little creature. I can't think of anyone who could survive getting slammed to the ground repeatedly by him and getting struck by his hammer. Not even Wil could do such a thing."
"Mmm...Aht doesn't get it. If people come to hurt us, Aht will fight them off. Aht will protect goshuujinsama, Yuela, Emelita, Serawi, and everyone else."
"Aht dear, as much as I don't care if this woman's allies bring an army or what, you can't fight them off by yourself. Don't you remind what Wil has said to us all before the final battle? Our true strength comes from the unity we have as a team." Elizasleyn chuckles rather amusedly as she gently scolds Aht and rustles her hand through her hair.
"Uya, if you're sure that this woman is still alive, we should quickly treat her injuries and then perhaps find some way to coerce her into recalling any efforts to lead forces to cull us. Even if we have this forest completely mapped and defended in sections; eventually, we will meet our match and pay the price." Melodiana speaks up as she crouches to pick up Karen's body and walks in the direction of the hamlet they have built for residential purposes.
After an unknown amount of time passed, she quickly found herself in the same pure dark void she was in when she first fought CFW Judge in the Gamindustri Graveyard and quickly senses Caelus walking in her direction, whom actually possesses a physical form this time round, though it's nothing more than a bright silhouette.
"I presume you're here to ridicule me again for my recklessness Caelus?" Karen inquires with a rather reticent tone as she looks down in despair.
"Not this time. These series of events were just unpredictable since we didn't know anything beyond a powerful spellcaster being here. We had no knowledge of what to expect this time around. It's not like what happened with the Guardragon." Although Caelus obviously meant well, she had intentionally brought up a sour memory to Karen which was obvious by how deeply she sighed at the mention of it.
"You're never going to let me live that down, will you?" Karen sighs with heavy discontent as she looks toward Caelus again "Caelus, how bad is my body out there? I can only imagine it's dying since I'm in this dark void yet again."
"You're in bad shape, no question. Of course, considering that huge creature slammed you against the ground very strongly repeatedly and then sent you flying with his equally massive hammer which made you crash against three trees, it's to expected. If I may be frank, if you suffered this level of injury back when you were a pure-bred human, you would be dead for good. Not even I would've been able to save you. The only reason you're still drawing breath is because you are a Console Patron Unit with a healthy supply of Share energy flowing your veins which is significantly enhancing your own life force, but I feel someone using healing magic. Several someones actually."
"Is it Leonard...wait, he doesn't know any healing magic; he focused on offensive magic. Then, who's healing me? Haruka? Izumi?"
"No, oddly, now that I can see, it's the two blonde elf like girls who first attacked you. I can also sense a large group of people in the nearby vicinity. None of their auras have association with the Console Patron Units however. My guess is that they're part of the group who reside in this forest."
"They're healing me? After trying to kill me? I don't get their logic here."
"I have long since given up trying to judge the constantly shifting logic of regular humans Karen. While it's common for many ideals to intersect and exist in many people, their interpretations are near numberless and that is too much for me. It is why I kept the number of people I associated with as a goddess small. Histoire, Uzume, Eris, Corrine, and Manila were all the company I truly needed back then. My oracle and my younger sisters. But listen, once again, this is not your time to die, so return to the land of the living." Caelus explains as she gives a brief more history about her past before she walks behind Karen and pushes her toward the voices that can be heard in the distance and the darkness around her begins to become more and more illuminated and the voices become ever louder.
After Karen began walking toward the voices in the distance, they become louder and easier to understand, with one sentence interesting her the most
"Wil, her eyes are beginning to flicker! She's regaining consciousness!"
"She's not ready yet Serawi. If she awakens in this condition, she'll end up in even worse straits. Put her to sleep Crayanne!"
"I'm trying Wil! But her body is quickly starting to reject my magic! None of my healing is working either!"
"Caelus?"
"It's a safety precaution Hard Drive Divinity possesses. If the user suffers extreme levels of injury, and as long as the goddess has plenty of share energy flowing through her veins, it activates a special energy field that cancels out all magic and provides a source of energy to buy time for the individual to flee and recover her strength. Funny thing though: It only works in goddess form, so if you were in human form right then, you wouldn't have made it. The one exception is magic casted by another Goddess or Goddess Candidate as their magic can easily penetrate that barrier. It was designed in a time when we goddesses were full-fledged allies and sworn to aid each other when danger struck. Based on what I witnessed in Leanbox when Chika made your new unit, the feature was either too deeply ingrained with the power of HDD to remove without completely rewriting the power of the Goddesses entirely or the benefit was too beneficial to remove. Either way, for such a...unique individual as she was, she is talented to create such a powerful processor unit within days. But seriously Karen, get your rear end moving and return to reality."
Karen simply nods as she continues walking and quickly finds herself back in her body's normal senses but a surge of pain courses through her body immediately afterward as she sees several people rushing frantically around the area with a man with short blonde hair kept in a ponytail giving orders to several people there, but to maintain the illusion that she's still relatively comatose, she's keeping her eyes half closed so she can what's going on.
"Uya, Kohakuren, I want you two to return to the forest and keep the new invaders distracted! Keep them going in circles." This was quickly followed by a fox and a female fox like human quickly dashing out of the house "Crayanne, go find Roka, Lyphia, and Evelyn and seal off the eastern passages so we can channel the invaders into our defenses." The young Yuichi rapidly nodded as she dove into the ground to find the trio specified by Wil "Yuela, go find Sharty, Ragsmuena, and Gaptahl. We need to establish a stronger perimeter around this settlement." Yuela simply nods though she stared at Karen for a moment.
"Wil, I would exercise caution with this woman. She was able to maintain her strength against me and was able to sense Serawi, Crayl, and Crayanne's attacks. She's not your average fighter."
"Relax Yuela. Just look at her: She can barely move a bone in her body right now so she's no threat. But please, get moving; if these new intruders get too far deep in the forest, we won't be able to repel them."
"Understood." Yuela grimly retorts as she draws her sword and dashes out of the house.
Moments later, a woman who is basically the clean-cut image of a shinigami wearing a robe that's barely concealing the body underneath suddenly materializes in the room.
"Perfect timing Ragsmuena...wait, what happened? I thought you were with Gaptahl."
"Gaptahl has been forced to retreat to the mountain hidden underneath our barrier which conceals it with our forest illusion."
"Wha-Gaptahl was forced to retreat?! How many people fought him?!" Wil was utterly horrified hearing that Gaptahl, one of their strongest fighters and a huge dragon at nearly six meters, was forced to retreat from the battle he was involved in.
"One. There is a single swordsman whose strength appears to be unparalleled. She struck off on her own after explaining three teams would be formed. She herself is a single team and the others divided into the other two groups. They are proceeding through different routes, but they all lead here." After explaining the situation, Ragsmuena vanished as abruptly as she appeared.
"Hehe, just like Filia. She must've been pissed since she hardly got to fight for quite a while. She's almost as bad as Wrex when it comes to her blood rage." Karen couldn't help but silently laugh at how Filia seems to be tearing this group apart from the seams with no help from anyone else.
"Damn, it seems like we're truly in over our heads this time round. We can't afford to fight a three-front battle." Wil deeply sighs in irritation knowing that his friends are frantically attempting to defeat what seems to be a far more experienced force.
"What do we do Wil?" Serawi worriedly inquired since she could easily see that Wil's becoming more frantic by the second, though she obviously did her utmost to hide her own anxiety because she sensed his own anxiety and because of her position as the big sister figure of this large group, she is often the one who the younger girls go to when they are made upset over whatever plagues their minds at the time.
"I think the only thing we can do is find some way to ransom this woman back to the intruders in the forest. Tell them that we'll release her to their custody if they agree to leave us alone."
"Yeeeah...not going to happen. No one ransoms me off for any cause! No one!" Karen slightly chuckled at their belief that ransoming her off would help them as she picks herself up, though the fact she has her sword drawn and pointed toward Wil shows her distaste for what she has heard. She normally would've taken action the moment she regained consciousness but stopped for several reasons: The first being she wished to wait for the more dangerous melee fighters to leave so the risk factor would be lessened, the second being that she desired to wait until some of her more severe injuries were treated so she could act without too much pain burdening her, and the third was that she wanted to gather more information about the people who reside in this forest.
"Wil!" Serawi exclaims in shock as Wil draws his hammer and Serawi and Crayl draw their bows to prepare for any possible hostile intent.
"I've been listening to your conversations while I was laying low to lick my wounds; so allow me to make a counteroffer: Surrender and lay down all of your weapons, and your lives will be spared. I have no desire to shed blood, especially when you have tried to heal my wounds. For that you have my gratitude. Considering that we are the invaders invading your home, we are in the wrong, but unless intervention is made through my guidance, my elite followers will assume full hostility. That is one thing I wish to avoid as much as possible. However, at this time, I am unable to contact my men because of the magic here so I cannot order them to stand down until it is completely gone." Karen elaborates, and she is fully aware that she is practically forcing her diplomacy under duress since her friends are sieging this area and has driven the local inhabitants into mild fear. Despite that, she is not fazed by it since she knows that sometimes diplomacy can only be done when one side possesses overwhelming odds, and she has some of the most highly trained individuals in all Gamindustri supporting her as her edge.
"I do not desire to see blood shed as much as you do. If you swear that our lives will be spared, we'll surrender. I need to think of the children here that need our protection."
"Chi-Children?!" Karen shouts in mild panic in her mind when she happens to see a young girl who only looks around nine with blue hair and eyes peek out from a nearby corner, and she immediately goes wide-eyed seeing the girl "Oh my god! He's telling the truth! And I was actually contemplating full-on confrontation!" Karen utterly shouted at the absolute limit internal monologue would allow as her mind is quickly picturing the bloodshed that could have occurred if the worst case scenario occurred, with her quietly sheathing her sword "Since I will need to remain here to parley, I will need one of you to tell my allies to stand down. Pass this message to them and they should stand down: I, Lady Aqua Heart, leader of the nation of Arcadia, hereby orders all termination of combat protocol."
"I sincerely hope these guys follow through with this. I don't want to die after all." Crayl weakly mutters as he dives into the ground leaving Karen, Wil, Serawi, and whoever else is in the building's other rooms.
"Serawi, I'd like you to find Emelita. She's supposed to be watching over all the children here, yet Tina found herself out of her watch. So I want to know what happened."
"As you wish. I'd like to know myself." Serawi nods in acknowledgement as she sheathes her bow and walks out of the room to find Emelita.
"It'll take some time for Crayl to deliver your message to your soldiers, so I need you to stay here. Oh, and I need your sword too."
"Sorry to say, but that's something of an impossibility. This sword is magically enchanted so no one can attempt to steal her from me. But for the sake of parleying, I'll put the sheath in a far corner." Even if it was a foolish move, Karen acquiesced to the desire for minimal conflict as she gets up to the far corner and props her sword sheath on a mount, returns to where she was prior and sits down in a lotus stance, facing Wil "Now, I should explain why I have come here. My allies informed me that they detected strong magic in this area so I was asked to investigate. Considering that I took the precaution to arrive armed since I was delving into unknown territory, I was attacked rather quickly by those three women that were here in addition to one male elf, a water spirit girl, and some massive creature hiding in the lake. Fighting is something I wanted to avoid since I need to keep my focus on something truly endangering my city instead of possibilities. But I must admit...your allies are incredibly well-trained and powerful." Karen articulates rather eloquently, making her low desire to fight a new force when she is already burdened securing her borders very clear, but she was incredibly impressed seeing the strong cohesion of the fighters here and how well they seem to have the region mapped.
"Just like yourself, we merely wish to live in peace and find a way back to Yuidora, even though it's been two years since we found ourselves here."
"So they're not native to this world, just like a lot of others." Karen weakly mutters since this all but confirmed them not being from this world because of one major fact: Bae'lin's family still had their barrier over this continent two years ago, so this group couldn't have gotten onto the mainland any other way but them ending up in Gamindustri from a whole other world "As a well-wisher, I wish to inquire: Have you been able to keep everyone here well-fed and safe from monsters?"
"Safety has never been a problem for us: Gaptahl, Ragsmuena, Kohakuren, Paraskevas, and Leguna's golems have been working as our long-range perimeter guards and everyone else, save Emelita, myself, and the children, work as short-range fighters and handle the actual fighting. But food is a constant challenge; we rely extensively on Emelita's and Phinilly's magic to substantially enrich the soil so harvests could be done near daily and they also maintain the barrier around this forest to keep people away. As you could possibly imagine, it has been a challenge for them to maintain such magic for nearly two years now. But as the leader of this group, I need to keep everyone safe as best as I possibly can."
"Oh I understand that challenge very well. But you have it easy, it appears you only have to look after around two dozen people, give or take; I have to do the same with hundreds of thousands already. Hmm...I wish to offer a proposition to you…I actually don't know your name beyond 'Wil'."
"Ah right. My name is Wilfred Dion; Lord of Yuidora and Grand Meister ranked Alchemist. May I ask for your name?" Wilfred, as Karen now learned the full name of, quickly rummages through his bag, as if searching for something "There must be at least one left that I keep for absolute emergencies." After a minute passes, he lets out a simple 'Yes!' and pulls out a small yellow bottle with two wing ornaments near the top, and passes it to Karen "Considering the injuries Paraskevas has done to you, I want to make sure you're in top shape. So drink this."
Karen accepts the bottle but simply stares at it as she uncorks the lid and notices a pure chrome silver liquid within it. She then looks up toward Wilfred "What exactly is this Wilfred? After a certain incident a few months ago, I am hesitant to drink strange beverages."
"It's a medicinal potion made in Yuidora. We call it the Breath of Elyun. It's the absolute strongest in terms of efficiency and it's guaranteed that if there is life in a person, this will restore it. Though as you can imagine, it does have limits. But I guarantee: drinking it would fully treat your injuries."
Karen mentally shrugs and drinks the Elyun potion but as soon as she began to drink it, she stopped since the taste was incredibly bitter but not as bad as the drink that Bae'lin had made prior before her taste altering magic was applied but like Wil had said, she could quickly feel her body regenerating as she continued drinking the potion and she felt the magic barrier of her CPU power dissipate since it was no longer needed to maintain her life.
"You have my gratitude Wilfred Dion. As I was saying; I have a proposition for you and your group. I find myself in a situation where I need as many talented fighters as possible to fully instill order in my nation's capital. If you can provide me with your best and help me fight, I'll shelter the children you have here and ensure you and everyone else are well-fed."
"I don't know. This seems a little too convenient, and forgive me for saying this, but I'm not exactly sure if I can trust you."
"Not surprising. I'd probably say the same in your shoes, but look, we're all in the same boat here. We've both been stranded here in this world for years. If that promise of aid doesn't sway you, this one surely will: If you agree to join forces with me, I will get you back to your world."
"You know how to get us all back to Yuidora?" Wil's tone was rather hopeful since he had been far away from home for a long time and was longing to return, just like the others in his group: Yuela wished to return to Disnafrody, Serawi wished to visit Reyshiamael's chief, and so on and because of how Karen knows she doesn't truly have a way out of Gamindustri, yet, she is rather hesitant to answer but knows that silence will only hurt her.
"Well...yes and no. We were able to actually complete this process once, but the machine exploded, the veil was drastically strengthened, and worse: One of my friends from my world was taken when we sent one of my companions who accompanied me to this world. However, I am forming alliances with skilled engineers to build a more advanced device to accomplish this task and this is a project where I need as many diverse skillsets as possible to join together to construct it. Join forces with me and I'll halt all of your biological clocks to stop you all from aging so no one will be the wiser in explaining age differences. That is my solemn pledge as Console Patron Unit Aqua Heart, leader of Arcadia."
"Mmm...I need time to think about it, and I need to consult my friends as well. As much as I lead them, they are their own individuals who follow for their own reasons so I refuse to force them to work with a foreign power."
"I understand. I have little desire to subjugate foreign powers under one banner. Arcadia just isn't meant to possess that type of power; we were never meant to rally under one single doctrine. Our strength comes from individual might and diverse policies. We are unpredictable. That is our strength despite our low numbers. We focus extensively on science and magic to remedy it: If we were meant to be small, we will make our creations surpass all others. That will be our edge against the large nations of Gamindustri." Karen desired to make it perfectly known that she is not a conqueror and prefers to bring foreign powers, when encountered and when she wants to do so, into her nation diplomatically to ensure that their unique background is not absorbed into Arcadia's own culture, but instead added to the near limitless number of cultures already in the nation. In addition to thinking of her own nation's development, she is also reflecting on the combat strength of Yuela, Serawi, Crayl, Crayanne, Suina, and Paraskevas. Yuela was nearly as strong as Filia and Karen was barely able to fight her off, although she was able to stop their attack, Serawi, Crayl, and Crayanne were able to stay hidden and fire a barrage of arrows that would have easily felled lesser trained warriors, and Suina and Paraskevas were able to catch her off-guard and inflict severe wounds to her. And then there are the others she has seen wandering about.
"While I don't fully get what you're trying to talk about, I am thankful you understand my situation at least. I'll speak with them when they return and see what they think of a non-aggression pact."
Moments after this, the sounds of swords clashing suddenly ring out as Yuela unexpectedly is flung into the room, landing on her back and Filia dashes right afterward, wielding her durandal sword with her left arm, which surprises Karen a tad bit since Filia's right handed but notices that she is keeping that arm hidden as she can recognize scorch marks; which would suggest that she got injured against whoever Gaptahl is.
"She was able to defeat an opponent at her level with her off-hand? Damn, how skilled is this woman?! Is she STILL holding back or did she actually go all-out this time? If it's the former, I wonder if she'd even be able to take down the CPUs in battle." After this monologue in her mind, Karen swiftly summoned Benten's sheath and drew her to block Filia's attack to protect Yuela and force Filia into a stand-still until she can get her planned message out "Stand down Filia! We are committing our resources into forming a non-aggression pact! Put down your sword!"
After seeing Karen still alive and jumping to action, she swiftly followed Karen's order and sheathed her weapon
"I actually thought you were killed considering the strength of the forces here Lady Aqua Heart. You are the most frail of the Console Patron Units after all." Karen was utterly petrified hearing Filia run her mouth yet again about her flaws even though she had very good reason for her combat skills degrading considering all of the political paperwork and her waitress job she has done over the last two years.
"Do you always smart mouth your leaders Filia?" Karen groans as she sheaths her own sword and then fires a glare at the skilled swordswoman.
"Only you. Since you're a newbie CPU."
"And this is why I don't give you leadership roles anymore. That and the fact you are a loose cannon and generally incompetent beyond the most elite of forces."
"Oh boo hoo, you hurt my feelings Lady Aqua Heart. How will I ever recover from this grievous wound?" The fact Filia had the absolute biggest smirk on her face as she nonchalantly, yet played up the fake drama factor, said this shows that she does not give a damn about the insult.
"You really are a- Nope. Nope. I am not going to stoop to that level. I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing me get mad." Karen was relatively peeved at Filia's response and nearly used rather aggressive language, but firmly shaked her head to calm herself down knowing that she's trying to bait her into this and won't play her game.
"How disappointing. I thought this would get a rise out of you."
"Enough of this. Where are the others who came with you?"
"Not entirely sure. All I know is that Garrus' team were stuck fighting some wolf, a mud girl, a fairy, and an angel apparently singing an utterly rancid song."
"That last girl must have been Elizasleyn. Don't let her hear that part; she'd either tear you apart or take control of your body." Wil chirps in while he was taking care of Yuela's injuries as he heard Filia talking about the group Garrus' team are fighting against.
"Yeeeah, I'm not afraid of a girl like that. I fought off a dragon single handed using my off-hand. And not one of those tiny five to six feet ones, this one was nearly six meters. After that, nothing can scare me."
"So Ragsmuena was right; you fought off Gaptahl, one of our strongest members."
"I'll give credit where it's due when I say he was tough. He got one good attack on me and scorched my arm with his thunder breath. But his mistake was surrendering his aerial advantage to fight me on the ground since he assumed I was defenseless. But as you can imagine by how I fought off this woman here, I am still able to fight off any opponent, even when my main arm is incapacitated."
"Filia...if you're this strong, why did you bother helping ASIC when the Guardragon was plaguing the mainland? Why didn't you go after the monster itself?"
"Cause I'm not an idiot. My father was twice the fighter I am now and he got beaten, so take that into perspective. In situations like that, I'm obviously going to support whoever holds the most powerful guns or the most number of guns, and ASIC had a giant freaking bomb dedicated to taking the beast down. I supported them that one time to ensure we all didn't die out. But my rage has subsided; go discuss this non-aggression pact. We need to return our focus to the capital immediately."
"I understand." Karen firmly nods as she hands her sword sheath to Yuela to resume her parley with Wilfred regarding the peace talks, especially before too many people get injured and the upcoming operation to take down the gangs for good is impeded "Now, as I was saying before, I want to cease the hostile activity here immediately. It is diverting resources my allies desperately need right now. But after thinking things over when I witnessed the strength of the people here, in addition to your plight, I wish to extend an offer: If you agree to join forces with my nation, I will share all of the resources my nation possesses: Food, water, shelter, anything you could possibly need; I will provide it. And all I ask is this: Leave this forest and aid my fight to secure order."
"Yuela, what do you think?" Wilfred inquires as he shifts his head to the female swordswoman.
"Her offer is extremely tempting Wil. You know we have been struggling to keep everyone fed ever since we have arrived in this place two years ago. We possess no shred of sovereignty in this land, and if it means we would be protected and have our needs taken care of, it would be preferable to submit to a stronger force than to resist. Before we come to a decision however, we should consult Serawi, Emelita, and Leguna for their opinions. The five of us are the unofficial leaders after all, and if a consensus is made between us, the others would follow suite because of their respect for us. And if the only price is to assist in a battle for order, it is an offer we should take."
"Indeed, but where is Leguna actually? I haven't seen him in a few days."
"He's in the alchemist workshop attempting to recreate golem technology. He wants to gradually replace us all with his golems for our security patrols so we could focus on food gathering."
"Just like Leguna to lock himself up in the workshop to satisfy his ego. Yuela, please drag him out here so we can get a consensus formed."
"Understood." Yuela responds with an emotionless tone and bow of acknowledgement as she gets up from her stance, returns Karen's sword as she passes, and leaves the building to go get Leguna.
"Now, Wilfred, regarding the subject of lending aid to my fight; I want to know who you have in your ranks since I can only bring along human-sized fighters right now. No one massive."
"Please, just call me Wil. Wilfred's too much of a mouthful for me. And I hope you realize that your condition in this only removes two members out of over twenty, including myself. Gaptahl and Paraskevas are the only giants in my ranks."
"Very well Wil-Wait, did you say twenty? Jesus, I've fought six individuals who nearly caused my own death and now I find that was only a fourth of your full might? As strong as I am, I am genuinely shaking in my boots right now." Karen mumbles as she realizes how deeply screwed she could've been if her fight against Wil's group escalated exponentially. If she hadn't been in goddess form when she entered this forest, she would've been killed with no question like Caelus had said not long ago. The revelation of this leads her to try diverting her attention with something she heard from Wil "Wait, you mentioned something about alchemy. I wish to ask you something: How advanced is your alchemy?" Karen inquired as she recalls what Gust was capable back in the World Maze and Gust has mentioned off-hand that she's a rather low level alchemist, so she could only ponder what talented alchemists could do with the necessary supplies and training.
"While our alchemy is always improving through the combination of ingenuity and education, I have made copies of all our current alchemical recipes since I had been planning to trade with the alchemists of Disnafrody so we could bolster our knowledge. Leguna and I have managed to achieve low levels of transmutation during the two years we've been here but our capabilities are limited since we had to focus extensively on food before all else."
"Transmutation? Fascinating, I'd like to know how much you can-" Karen was genuinely pleased to hear that Wil and this Leguna were capable of converting raw materials into other substances since that could genuinely help her nation grow and manufacture raw goods, but she was interrupted by the sound of chains breaking out from the ground and quickly restrain her to her stomach, with Filia jumping up to her feet outright out of surprise seeing the chains break out from the ground "Oh come on! Seriously?! I have seen more chains in only two to three years than most people do in their entire lives! If ever! What the hell is this?! Some kind of sick masochist game?!" Karen shouts with extreme acrimony since she is genuinely pissed about experiencing actions restricting movement either directly or firsthand. She does her best to twist her head upward toward Wil even though her body's completely bound by these chains "Please, for the love of the goddesses, get me out of this!" Karen whines very profusely, not wanting to be restrained yet again since she was annoyed enough being kept bound by Suina's water spears not too long ago.
"What the hell?! What is- Wait, I know who did this. Mylen, let her go! She's our guest!" Wil jumped up like Filia but when he took a moment to think about who did this, the perpetrator was easy to deduce since only one person among them is this kind of prankster.
After Wil called out for this Mylen, a girl with long spiky purple hair and green eyes, wearing a jester's outfit, materializes in a way similar to Ragsmuena which signifies that she is a spirit like the shinigami who departed not long ago.
"You're no fun Wil. Besides, are you seriously going to question my desire to combine my duty to protect this home of ours and my own pleasure of tormenting a new face who foolishly let her guard down?" Mylen sneers happily as her eyes widen in a very twisted manner as she stares at Karen being restrained by her specially made chains that were designed to be strong enough to restrain Gaptahl during a time when they were all invited to join the Crusaders of Light from Marsterria for training (with Gaptahl bringing them all there in a timely manner) out of a gesture of goodwill because of how Wil helped them all secure one of their special artifacts from the Dark Elves near the place known simply as Shipwreck Coast. The training sessions were very diverse considering the strength of the Crusaders and the party that was invited since they all had their own unique combat styles with very little common overlap.
"Mylen, I will not repeat myself. Let her go or I will have to have Kohakuren and Ragsmuena punish you again."
"Fine. Fine." Mylen pouts as she snaps her fingers and the chains disintegrate as she does it. Even though she's rather masochistic, she has little desire to get punished by those two since Kohakuren is rather fond of burning her opponents and Ragsmuena drains life from her enemies which even she finds uncomfortable to deal with.
"Thank you. This was just plain uncomfortable and truth be told, I truly want to get out of this place as soon as I possibly can. I want to relax as much as I can."
"Don't worry. As soon as Serawi, Emelita, Yuela, and Leguna get here, we'll start discussing a non-aggression pact."
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [19:00] April 21st 22XX
Location: [Invictus Forest - Alchemist Settlement]
After Yuela returned dragging Leguna by his collar, and Serawi returned to the room with a young looking girl with pink hair and blue eyes, joined by four of Karen's own colleagues: Garrus, Filia, Leonard, and Uzume's representative: CyberConnect2 in the reinforcement team comprising of herself, MAGES. and Ein Al; everyone else being in a different area of the village under guard by Wil's team so the peace talks could be done without incident.
"Okay, let's try to get introductions out of the way while we're here. While you know my name already, but for the newcomers, I should give it." After this was said, Wil began motioning his hands as he introduced his colleagues "My name is Wilfred Dion, but I prefer to be called Wil. This is Yuela. Millieda Ell Zilterry, or as she prefers: Emelita. Servalwi Endoss, or as she prefers: Serawi. And lastly, this is Krove Zilterry, or as I like to call him: Leguna Ashys, since that was the name he has used most of his life."
"My Divine Name is Console Patron Unit Aqua Heart, but my 'Birth' name is Karen Koizumi. This is Garrus Vakarian, Filia Yuasa, Leonard Anami, and CyberConnect2."
"So you want to form a nonaggression pact with us in exchange for our might to end the infighting within your capital. Am I correct?"
"That's putting it rather simply, Leguna; but yes. But let me be frank: I do not want hostilities brewing out here since I need all of my people focused in my capital. At worst, I want an agreement that we'll stay out of each other's business. But after seeing what is going on here, I wish to extend as much aid to you all as much as I can. However, the chains of leading an entire country does force me to act with some malice since I need to think of their well being above all else. So my offer of assistance will require you to aid me in battle and provide your alchemy to my nation afterwards, but you will be provided with whatever you will need, within reason. Back when I was a more casual tactician and leader, I wouldn't have resorted to such underhanded measures. But the number of people I have to protect is rapidly nearing a million and I'll do nearly anything to protect them to the utmost best of my ability."
"I understand the burden you are well, burdened with. I rule a nation myself and it is not easy dealing with all the politics. While I don't agree with your unscrupulous methods, I can atleast sympathize." Wil simply mutters his thoughts on Karen's rather abrasive stance on her style of politics as he pulls out an orange colored cube and puts it on the table. When Wil, Yuela, Serawi, Emelita, and Leguna touch it, beams of light touch their foreheads and begin inaudibly talking to the confusion of Karen's entourage since they have no idea what they are saying since their vocal chords seem to be paralyzed with this device active.
After some time passed, Wil deactivated the device and looked toward Karen "We've come to a decision. Based on what you are offering us, we must admit: It would be foolish of us to decline since we have been struggling to make ends meet these two years. Our decision is unanimous as long as you carry through with your promise of providing your own aid to our group here. Since I need to keep some of my friends here to watch over the children, I can't bring our full might to help you. Before I begin my own considerations in the subject, may I ask what the field of battle will be?"
"I'm...not certain. If I had to hazard a guess, it'd be within an enclosed space. Based on what I've been informed of, the enemy I face has several human sized war machines made of steel alloy in their arsenal."
"So archers won't do that much good in your fight. Erm...I'm not sure if anyone I have in our ranks would be too much help in such a fight."
"Please don't worry about such things Wil. I have several mage allies who can enchant your weapons to deal with them. I just want to get as many people as possible since this last enemy will be rather entrenched and I need to bolster the numbers of the faction I've allied myself with. Her forces are some of my country's strongest but they lack the numbers to do any significant Ops so they had to rely on my friends for numbers. While the leaders of that faction are strong, their members are meager in terms of combat strength."
"I see. I can confidently say that we're all experienced, especially with the training we received from the Crusaders of Light. Based on what you have said, I'll bring myself, Yuela, Emelita, Aht, Suina, Melodiana, Uya, Kohakuren, Elizasleyn, Ragsmuena, Leguna and his golem, Lyphia, and Roka to help in your battle. Serawi, Crayl, Crayanne, Sharty, Paraskevas, Gaptahl, Phinilly, Hannah, Mylen, and Evelyn will be staying behind to watch over the children here and protect our borders."
"I understand. Do you have to make any preparations? Ideally, we'll want to depart tomorrow to execute the final battle."
"Tomorrow? We'd need to inspect our weapons and armor, among other things. Also, how exactly do we make it to your capital?"
"We can take the Astronema gate that is connected to my Basilicom to join our comrades. Garrus and Cybercon; get that gate installed in here, bring everyone here and return to Tennouboshi to prepare for the final battle. Leonard, Filia, I want you to stay and determine the strength of the people coming with us before we have to leave; you're my chief warrior and magus after all."
"Understood!" Both Filia and Leonard shouted this as the quartet began to walk away though Karen stops Filia before she has a chance to leave.
"Wait a moment Filia." Karen grimly orders to the armored warrior in her employ since she still has one thing to say to her though she purposely sent Leonard a glance telling him to leave since she doesn't want him overhearing what she is going to say in case the former SMD members are more loyal to Filia than to her.
"What is it?"
"When we return to the Basilicom tomorrow, I have some choice words for you considering your recent actions. Until then, you are free to do what you wish, but keep everyone unharmed. Got it?"
After hearing what Karen said to her, Filia's expression turned incredibly sour and shot her a vicious gaze, which barely held any loyalty to her CPU "Understood." The tone Filia said this was oozing with venom as she walked away, making Karen shiver in fear.
"Uuu...I may have truly screwed up on this one. I may have just pissed off a woman who could actually kill me. If they go rogue on me, I'll need to replace what I consider to be my royal guard from those six to this group. That or I could ask Garrus to form one for me; he has an eye for talented fighters. And his people are disciplined so he would likely recruit people who match his standards." Karen muttered this in her mind as she ponders the possibility of some of her followers going rogue and the need to replace them if that becomes necessary.
"Is she going to be a problem Aqua Heart?" Yuela somberly inquires as she saw Filia walk off rather angrily.
"I pray to the goddess that this stays inert. I have very little desire to make one of the strongest warriors in all Gamindustri my enemy. Especially when I've never been able to defeat her."
"I normally wouldn't say this, but I am also fearful of her strength. Especially when she was able to defeat me with her off-hand. But how is she so powerful? Her strength is inhuman."
"Now that you mention it, I don't really know. All I really know is that she's unparalleled with a sword."
"If I can interrupt, I think I may have an answer for that. I was able to detect a great deal of magical energy emanating from that sword and based on what it's telling me...ah man! It's in old style! Let me translate it into a more modern dialect." Emelita interjected with an uncharacteristically somber tone before learning of the translation's speech and she began to whine when she learned of the description of the magic she sensed from Filia's sword.
"That filthy hypocrite. She calls me out for relying on magic as a crutch and I find she has been using a magic sword to augment her strength? How dare she!"
"Let's see: With this sword in hand and brought into conflict against another, this sword will copy the strength of your opponent and will add it to your own."
"Copy the opponent's strength? Wait. The reason she's so strong is because she basically stole it from other people!? This makes me question how strong she really is if she's having magic augment her."
"I would not discount her so quickly. Even without that magic supporting her, she is remarkably talented. But we should end this council; it's getting late and we should rest for tomorrow."
"Agreed."
"If you'll come with me Aqua Heart, I'll bring you to our main house. I hope you don't mind the fact that there's only one room for sleeping, which we all share, aside from Paraskevas and Gaptahl." Serawi gently says this as she gets up from where she was sitting and walks toward the exit and beckons Karen to follow.
Hearing this piece of news from Serawi doesn't exactly fill Karen's mood with absolute joy which is obvious in her expression since she has never truly slept in the same room with other people before but she does her utmost to hide the unease since Serawi is genuinely offering this despite them being obviously rather taxed already "I see. And thanks for the offer, but I don't exactly need sleep. It's an innate power of Console Patron Units like me. Hunger, dehydration, sleep, even aging. I'm immune to them though my mind hasn't perfectly adjusted to that. So don't feel so concerned about tending to my needs. So please, focus on yourselves." Karen took her time to gently get this across to Serawi since she didn't want to sound standoffish or worse: rude.
"I see. If I may say: I'm a little envious."
"It's not. Trust me. But come on, let's get this out of the way. The sun's beginning to set."